Airlangga Explores Industrial Cooperation with Belarus
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated that Indonesia needs to explore various trade cooperation schemes amidst global dynamics. One of the initiatives being promoted is the utilization of the Indonesia-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement (Indonesia-EAEU FTA) to open up market opportunities while also strengthening domestic industrial needs.
According to Airlangga, optimizing this agreement not only targets market access for Indonesian export products to the Eurasian region but also identifies Indonesia’s strategic goods needs that can be supplied by member countries, particularly Belarus.
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“We see that Belarusian companies have experience in producing various types of heavy equipment that can strengthen industrialization, modernize agriculture, and develop the heavy equipment industry in Indonesia,” said Airlangga in a written statement on Friday, May 15, 2026.
This statement was made after his visit to several strategic Belarusian industries in the heavy equipment, commercial vehicle, and modern agricultural mechanization sectors in Minsk on Thursday, May 14, 2026. The visit was part of the series of the 8th Joint Commission Meeting (SKB) between Indonesia and Belarus in the fields of trade, economy, and technology, at the invitation of the Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus. Airlangga was accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Industry of Belarus, Leonid Ryzkovsky.
During the visit, Airlangga visited three major Belarusian manufacturing companies, namely Minsk Tractor Works, Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ), and BelAZ Holding Management Company. All three are known as the backbone of Belarus’s manufacturing industry in the fields of heavy equipment, commercial vehicles, and agricultural mechanization technology.
Airlangga said that this exploration of cooperation is in line with the national food security agenda, which requires agricultural modernization and support for efficient heavy equipment. Belarus itself has a manufacturing sector that contributes approximately 20.3 percent to its GDP in 2024, as well as a claimed food self-sufficiency rate of around 96 percent.
At Minsk Tractor Works, Airlangga reviewed the development of tractor and agricultural machinery technology, which is considered relevant to supporting Indonesia’s agricultural modernization program, including the development of food estates. MTZ, he said, has expressed its readiness to adjust equipment specifications to Indonesia’s needs, including offering training and technology transfer. Initial discussions have also been held with the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) regarding the potential for this cooperation.
Meanwhile, at Minsk Automobile Plant, discussions focused on the potential development of commercial vehicles, buses, and industrial vehicles, including options for local assembly, technology transfer, and the development of low-emission vehicles.
At BelAZ, both parties discussed the potential for cooperation in mining equipment, including the development of maintenance ecosystems, local assembly, and opportunities for the supply chain of heavy-duty rubber-based vehicle tires from Indonesia. Discussions also included the development of cassava into ethanol and a study on the use of nickel-based batteries to support the modernization of heavy equipment.
Airlangga said that the use of nickel batteries in mining trucks has been implemented to improve operational efficiency and sustainability. With Indonesia’s coal exports reaching around 800 million tons per year, the need for efficient dump trucks is considered a priority.
The Belarusian government, according to Airlangga, has been studying the needs for heavy equipment in Indonesia but still faces limitations in detailed information. Therefore, he believes that it is necessary to map needs together, hold regular consultation forums, and improve communication between industrial players and the governments of both countries.
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